To volunteer with The Georgia Track Club, go to georgiatrackclub.org.
Olympians, as we see them, show their agility and strength on the playing field every four years at the world Olympics. But when they come back home, some make an impact right in their local community.
Many of Georgia’s elite athletes are members of the Georgia Track Club, a local nonprofit that supports athletes through training and competition. As the club supports their athleticism, it also helps them make an impact in the local community.
The Georgia Track Club hosted its first Family Fit Fun Run Day at the Anderson Park Recreation Center in Atlanta on Aug. 8 to bring together families and raise the conversation about staying fit and being active together.
“We put our focus on programs to focus on fighting childhood obesity and improving high school graduation rates throughout the State of Georgia,” said Hazel Clark, a four-time Olympian who is now the executive director of Georgia Track Club.
The family event was designed to encourage families and communities to be active. Proceeds benefit the Georgia Track Club. The Family Fit Fun Run Day featured a fitness festival, two-mile run fun, games such as Tug of War, raffles, games and entertainment for all ages. Attendees also got a chance to meet and interact with Olympians.
“It was a great to see our families play and have fun,” said Clark. “It was so exciting to see the smiles on the kids faces when they interacted with the athletes. They saw that they could accomplish anything they put their mind to.”
The community can get involved with the Georgia Track Club by participating in many of its events, support the athletes and also being part of its outreach programs such as Champions Don’t Bully, the track club’s anti-bullying program encouraging leadership and positivity in youth.
Currently, the Georgia Track Club supports 12 athletes who have won over 45 medals among them.
In other news: Academy Sports + Outdoors made back-to-school shopping a little easier for 30 kids from Douglas County Boys and Girls Club with its annual Back-to-School shopping spree. Each child received a $100 Academy gift card to use towards athletic apparel, backpacks, shoes and other school necessities during the donation. This is the program's sixth year and it has grown to include over 75 similar events throughout the Southeast and Midwest.
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